Concentrating-machine.



No. 775,946. PATENTED NOV. 29, 1904.

A. H. STEBBINS.

GONGENTRATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 4. 1902. No MODEL. 5

es@ 653 es Z E? E 53 1fu l /g' 1?/ l b@ A AC C2 i Mg No. 775,94H5.

teuren Srares ALBERT H. STEBBlNS, (')F Patented filaire-ruben.' 2t), la.

LITTLE HUUR, ARKANSAS.

CONGENTHMTlNGirWl/ACMlNE.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 775,946, datedNovember 29, 1904.

Application filed February 4, 1902. Serial No. 92,494. (No model.)

To rr/ZZ 'wlw/rt it may concern/ Be it known that I, ALBERT H. S'rniivs,a citizen of the United States, residing at Little Rock, county ofPulaski, State of Arkansas, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Concentrating'-l\achines, of which the followingr is aspecification.

The invention to be hereinafter described relates to concentratorswhereby metals and ores are separated and reclaimed from theiraccompanying' impurities. When material containing' metals and valuableores is sui j ected to the action of an agitating' force, it be`- comesstratified, and the light or waste material will rise to the top of themass, while the metals and valuable ore-bearing' particles willgravitate tothe bottom, and if when the mass is thus stratified theupper portion is subjected to a moving' force in one direction while thelower portion is subjected to a moving force in a different direction itis evident that the valuable portion of the mass may beseparated andcollected from the remainder. It is the general object of my presentinvention to provide means for carrying out the opera tion aboveindicated; and with this in view the invention consists of the parts andconibinations, as will be hereinafter more fully described, anddefinitely pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view of an apparatus embodying myinvention, the top or cover being' removed to more clearly disclose theparts beneath. Fig. Qis asection on line 2 Q of Fig. l, showing' alsothe top in position; and Fig'. 3 is a cross-section on line 3 3 of Fig.l. Fig'. 4 is a sectional detail.

The main body of the machine consists of a box-like frame A of anysuitable form and construction in which is supported some distance abovethe bottom e a concentrating-surface B, on which the material,preferably in a iinely divided or comminuted state, is fed or deliveredthrough a suitable hopper D, the said concentrating-surface being'provided with perforations arranged at an angle to each other to producecross-currents over the said surface, as and for a purpose that willhereinafter more fully appear. The concentrating-surface B is preferablyformed of a series of concentrating-sections 7X, arranged in differentplanes, and, as shown in the drawings as the preferred enibodiment of myinvention, the number of these planes is repre sented as two, thesections formingj)l the up, per plane, and the sections /1 forming thelower plane, although it evident that the number of such differentplanes of sections may be varied as desired. ln the space between theconcenmating-surface B and the bottom d of the frame A is an air orfluid chamber into which either continuous or intermittent blasts of airor other Huid maybe forced as desired through suitable connecting meansfrom any source of power, as will be hereinafter more fully described,and as a preferred construction, as exemplified in my presentillustration of the invention, this ai r or fluid chamber is dividedinto compartments c c', each of which is coextensive with and beneaththe concentratiiig-sections of the surface B, althouglnas is evident,this construction mav be departed from, if desired, and still be withinthe scope of my present invention, as will hereinafter more fullyTappear. For the purpose of introducing blasts of air or other fluid intothe ai r or iiuid chamber pipes C C are provided, the pipes C communicatingI with the comparti-ments c beneath the upper plane of theconcentrating-scctions I by means of branch pipes ci, while the pipe C'is connected tothe series of compartments c beneath the lower plane ofconcentratingsections by means of branch pipes c, any usual form ofvalves C2 (2 being; provided in the pipes C C for the purpose ofregulating the amount and force of theair or other fiuid currentsdesired to be introduced into the air or lluid sections c c beneath theconcentrating-surface.

The upper coneentrating-sections of the concehunting-surface arepreferably perforated, so as to direct air or other iiuid currentsdirectlyT across the upper concentratingsections the said perforationsbeing' formed b v forcingl a portion of the material of the said sectionupward or offsetting it above the opposite wall of the opening' thusformed," as shown at The lower plane of concentrating-sections L' arelikewise perforated in a IOO similar manner by forcing a portion of thematerial of each section upward and odsetting it, as before stated, withthe openings directed at an angle to the openings in the upperconcentrating-sections It will thus be seen that material upon the upperconcentrating-sections 7) will by the force of air or other iuid passingthrough the openings in the said upper sections be forced directlyacross said upper sections, whereas material upon the lower sections 7)will be directed diagonally of the said lower sections b, for a purposethat will hereinafter be more fully described. lVhile I have thus shownthe distribution of the perforations or openings in the upper and lowersections of the concentrating-surface, it is to be understood that thisis only one of the many forms, arrangements, and directions which may begiven to said openings or perfor-ations in order to force materialsupported on said sections in different directions, and I do not,therefore, intend to limit my invention to the precise constructionshown in this respect.

lVliile the apparatus constituting my invention may be employed withouta cover above the concentrating surface B while treating some forms ofmaterial, yet such cover is desirable under some conditions, and I havetherefore provided a cover E practically coextensive with theconcentrating-surface and adapted to be placed upon the apparatus orremoved therefrom and when placed thereon to be secured to the frame Aby any appropriate meansas, for instance, the latch and pin e e'. It isdesirable in treating some forms of material that there shall beconnement of the air or fluid currents above the concentrating-sectionsZ2', and yet such currents should be allowed a certain amount ofescapement, and this object I accomplish by forming the cover as shownin one of its forms in Fig. 2, in which two layers of metal areillustrated provided with perforations e", and between these two layerse2 e" of perforated metal there is held a sheet i of textile or otherpermeable material, whereby a portion of the air or fluid currentspassing through the concentrating-surface Bmay be allowed to escape andyet the major portion thereof be confined to perform the work ofconcentration of the values and elimination of the 'Waste materials, itbeing understood, of course, that other constructions of covers might beemployed besides that herein shown and described, it being onlynecessary that it shall permit the relief or escape of apart only of theair or other fluid currents, and all such forms of permeable covers Iregard as within the scope of my invention.

At one end of the apparatus I provide a waste-chute F, an opening fbeing provided between the cover and concentrating-surface B for thepassage of waste products, while at vone side of the frame A, I providea concentrate-chute G'. which may have any desired number ofdischargeeoutlets g g for carrying away the valuable products to becollected. The character of the discharge-chute may be varied; butpreferably it will consist of a trough extending along the side of theframe A, as shown.

From the construction thus far described it will be noted that ore-pulpor like material being fed to the concentrating surface B through thefeed-chute will be acted on first by the currents of air or fluidpassing through the upper section which currents by direction of theopenings 3 will cause themass of material thereon to become stratifiedmore or less with the heavier particles at the bottom, andsimultaneously with such stratification the material will be fed towardthe waste-chute F until it reaches the first concentrate-section Z2', atwhich point the valuable particles will gravitate to the bottom ordirectly upon said section, and by the direction of the perforations insaidsection the said valuable products will be moved diagonally alongthe length of said concentrate-section b', and the light or wastematerial forming the main portion of the upper strata will be carried onto the next upper section and so on from section to section of theconcentrate-surface the material will be subjected to repeatedstratification and movement of the heavier particles in one direction,while the lighter particles will be moved in another direction. In orderto facilitate this movement of the lighter particles from the top of themass contained on the lower section I have provided .directing- Y boardsI-I, the lower edges of which are located some distance above thesurface of the sections and extend onto the upper sections L. Thesedirecting-boards may of course extend down from the cover E, if desired,or be secured in position in any desired manner, so that they shall bediagonally arranged, as shown in Fig. l, with their lower edges abovethe sections b to direct the top layers of material as they movelengthwise of the lower sections ZJ onto the upper sections 7J. As themass of material moves Linder the actuating force of the cross-currentsproduced by the perforations in the upper sections I) b the heavierparticles constituting the values will be moved lengthwise of thesections 72, and finally into the concentrating-chute Gr, while thelighter particles constituting the waste material will be finallycarried into the wastechute F and discharged from the machine.

One of the essentials of my present invention is the separation of thewaste or valueless portion of the material treated from the valuableportion thereof by cross-currents of air or other fluid, which servesnot only to stratify the material by the agitation imparted thereto asthe air or iiuid currents pass through the same, but also to move thedifferent qualities or portions of the Amaterial in different IOO IIO

directions as the mass moves over the conl l claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patcentrating-surface, so that in the passage over the saidsurface the waste or valueless portion may be eliminated and thevaluable portion reclaimed.

In use the apparatus may be placed either in an inclined or horizontalposition, dependent upon the character of material treated, and the airor lluid chamber under the concentrating-sections may direct the same orlike currents oit air or other fluid through the di tlerentconcentrate-sections, dependent upon the material undertreatment. Theseand other variations in the details of the apparatus will readilysuggest themselves to one skilled in this artmas, for instance, theshape of the box-like frame, the arrangement of the upper and lowerplanes of concentrate-sections with relation to each other and to theboxlile frame, and the direction, size, and character of thepcri'orations in the concentratesurface, all of which variations willdepend upon the composition ci' material to be treated and the characterof the fluid-currents employed.

lr' desired, and in order to prevent material carried by the uppersections 7; `lrom being delivered into the concentrate-chute (5r, theedge vf ci' the frame A may be carried above the suriace of the uppersections b, while the edge of the said 'frame A, as at t', at the end ofthe lower sections may be fiush with the surface of the said lowersections to permit the concentrates to be moved into theconcentratechute G, as indicated in Fig. 3.

ln the present embodiment of my invention I have shown theconcentrate-sections 7) b arranged parallel and at right angles to thesides oi the box or frame A; but it is evident, oit' course, that thisangle or arrangement is not essential and may be varied as desired, solong as the concentrate-surface B is divided up into a series ofconcentrate-sections in dii?- 'ferent planes, as hereinbefore described.

The present apparatus while primarily designed for the separation of drymaterial can be used with advantage with both air and water, or eitherof them, as the separating medium, and in either case the air or waterforced through the concentrating surface from beneath accomplishes allot' the agitation necessary for stratiiication, and thereby eliminatesthe necessity o'shaking and jig-ging machinery. In some cases and inseparating some characters of material the use of water either with orwithout the air aifords some advantages, as the ore-pulp may be held insuspension longer in the water than in air and will thus serve to bothagitate and carry the material forward when it is of rather heavycharacter, or where it is mixed with clay and 'there is an excess ofmoisture in the material to be concentrated the water will help todisintegrate the component particles of the pulp. Having thus describedmy invention, what ent, is-

l. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a box-like frame, aconcentratirig-surface arranged above the bottom ol said 'traine toprovide a Vfluid-chamber, means `For introducing a blast of fluid intosaid chamber beneath the concentrating-snrtace to stratilv the materialthereon, said concentrating-surlacc being provided with periorations,said perforations being disposed in grouijis at an angle to cach otherin different portions ot' the concentrating-surface to direct thefluid-currents in diiferent directions over said concentrating-surface.

f2. In a machine of the class described, the combination ol a frame, aconcentrating-sur- Jface supported thereby, said concentratingsurfacebeing' provided with pcricrations disposed in groups at an angle to cachother in dil'lerent portions of the cone mtratingsur 'face to directAlluid-tairrents in different directions over said concentratingsurface,and means for directing Huid-currents through said peritorations.

3. In an ore-concentratcr, the combination ot a frame, aconcentrate-srn'liacc supported by said frame above the bottom thereofto provide a fluid-chan'iber and comprising perforatedconcentrate-sections in dillcrent planes, the perforations et' thesections in one plane being disposed at an angle to the pert'orations inthe other plane, and means for introducing Huid-currents into saidchamber beneath the concentrate-sections.

4E. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a frame` aconcentrate-suritace supported by said frame above the bottom thereof toprovide a iuid-chainber and comprising pertorated concentrate sectionsin dillerent planes, the perfor-ations of the sections in one planebeing disposed at an angle to the perforations in the other plane, thewalls of the pertorations being' offset to direct fluid-currents overthe sur tace of co1icentratc-sections, and means for introducing[luid-curren ts into said chamber beneath the concentrate-sections.

5. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a box-like frame, aconcentrating-surface supported by said frame andcomprisingconcentrate-sections disposed alternately in ditferentplanesand having perforations directing air or liuid blasts over the surfaceoi" said sections, partitions in said lrame beneath theconcentrate-sections lorming a separate fluidchamber for each of saidsections, and means' for introducing blasts of liuid into each oit saidfluid-chambers to strati'ly and move material supported thereon.

6. In an ore-concentrator, the comlgiination of a box-like iframe, aconcentrating-surtace supported by said 'trame and comprisi ngperforated concentrate-sections arranged alternately .in two differentplanes, the walls of said perforations being offset to directiuidcurrents'over the surface of said sections, partitions in said framebeneath the concentrate-sections forming a separate fluid-chamber foreach of said sections, and means for introducing blasts of fluid intoeach of said fluid-chambers to stratify and move material supportedthereon.

T. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a box-like frame, aconcentrating-surface supported above the bottom of said frame andcomprising a series of perforated concentratesections in differentplanes, the perforations of the sections in one plane being disposed atan angle to the perforations of the sections in the other plane and thewalls of the perforations being offset to direct fluid-currents over thesurface of said planes, partitions in said box-like frame forming aseries of fluid-chambers beneath the concentrate-sections, and means forintroducing fluid-currents into the said series of chambers.

8. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a frame, a perforatedconcentrating-surface having adjacent sections or portions in dilferentplanes and supported above the bottom of the frame to provide afluid-chamber beneath said surface, means for introducing a blast ofHuid into said chamber beneath the concentrating-surface to stratify andmove material thereon, and a permeable cover supported by said frameabove the concentratesurface to permit the escape of an excess of fluid.

9. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a frame, a perforatedconcentrating-surface supported above the bottom of the frame to providea fluid-chamber beneath said surface, means for introducing a blast offluid into said chamber beneath the concentratingsurface to'stratify andmove material thereon, and a permeable cover supported by said frameabove the concentrate-surface to permit the escape of an excess of iuid,said cover being formed of sheets of perforated material inclosingbetween them a textile or like permeable sheet.

l0. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a box-like frame, aconcentrating-surface arranged above the bottom of said frame to providea fluid-chamber, means for introducing a blast of fluid into saidchamber beneath the concentrating-surface to stratify the materialthereon, said concentratingsurface comprisingr perforatedconcentrating-sections arranged in different planes, and directing meansdisposed above the surface of the lower sections to guide the top strataof material onto the upper sections.

1l, In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a frame, aconcentrating-surface in said frame above the bottom thereof to providea fluid-chamber and comprising concentrate- *Masas sections in differentplanes, said concentratesections having perforations the walls of whichare offset to direct fluid-currents over the surface of said sections,and means for introducing fluid -currents beneath theconcentratesections to stratify and move material on said sections, anddirecting devices disposed above the surface of the lowerconcentrate-sections to guide the top strata of material onto the nextadjoining' section.

I2. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a box-like frame, aconcentrating-surface arranged above the bottom of said frame to providea fluid-chamber, means forintroducing a blast of fluid into said chamberbeneath the concentrating-surface,to stratify the material thereon, saidconcentrating-surface comprising perforated concentrating sectionsarranged in different planes, and directing means disposed diagonallyabove the surface of the lower sections to guide the top strata ofmaterial onto the next adjoining section.

13. In an ore-concentrator, the combination of a box-like frame narrowerat the feed than at the discharge end, a concentrating-surfacecomprising perforated concentratesections arranged alternately in twodifferent planes, a feed hopper, discharge and concentrate chutes, meansfor introducing a blast of fluid into said frame beneath theconcentrate-sections, to stratify and move the material thereon, and apermeable cover disposed above the concentrating-surface.

11i. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame,aconcentrating-surface supported thereby, said concentratingl surfacebeing provided with perforations disposed in groups at an angle to eachother in different portions of the concentrating-surface, the walls ofsaid perforations being offset to direct fluid-currents in differentdirections over said concentrating-surface, and means for directingHuid-currents through said perforations.

l5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a frame, aconcentrating-surface supportedthereby, a feed-hopper to supply materialat one end of said surface for treatment, concentrate-chutes arranged atthe side of said machine, said concentrating-surface being provided withperforations disposed in groups at an angle to each other in differentportions of the concentrating-surface, the walls of said perforationsbeing olfset to direct fluid-currents in different directions over saidconcentratingsurface, and means for directing fluid-currents throughsaid perforations.

t ALBERT H. STEBBINS.

In presence of J. E. LEAs, W. H. AUDnnicK.

IOO

IIO

